Arts & Life

Local Band Chervona Performs on Russian Old New Year's Eve

Visiting Russian journalist Peter Lekarev spent two weeks working in the OPB newsroom recently. While he was in Portland, he co-produced an Oregon Art Beat story about Chervona, a local band with strong Russian roots and a commitment to playing traditional music.

Every year, Chervona celebrates Russian Old New Year’s Eve, which takes place this year on January 12, 2013, with a big dance party. You can catch the band rehearsing for the festivities in our video above.

Andrei Temkin, founder and lead singer for Chervona, rehearses for their annual Russian Old New Year's Eve party.

Katrina Sarson/OPB

Lekarev told us about the tradition of Russian Old New Year’s Eve. In 1918, Russia’s government adopted the Gregorian calendar, which is commonly used around the world. The Russian Orthodox Church, however, continued to use the Julian calendar, which is about two weeks different. Traditionally, New Year’s Eve is celebrated on December 31, based on the Gregorian calendar. Russian Old New Year’s Eve honors the Julian calendar celebration of a new year. In Russia, both days are celebrated — January 1 is a public holiday and January 13 is more informally celebrated.

If you’d like to see Chervona performing in person, they’ll be at Portland’s Star Theater on Saturday, January 12 at 8 p.m.